Raccoons........ Population Density?

[Namble]

Its interesting to hear pretty much every one person on BYC has a coon problem. But me...no. It might sound weird but I have never had a single coon mess with my chickens.

 

[Lollipop]

I love Jesus, too, but if you keep chickens, sooner or later you`re gonna lose some. Just happens that coons are more plentiful than most predators. Good luck with yours.......Pop

 

[mikeksfarmer]

I have a Theory on the population. I think humans and their daily practices encourage raccoon numbers to increase.
They make use of our garbage, pet food, almost preditor free neighborhoods, and much more. For the last three years in a row I have removed from 11 to 15 Raccoons just in my back yard and still lost all my sweet corn. I planted a lot. 15, 25 foot rows. By the way the raccoon is the most common road kill in North America. (Fact)
Maybe as an American Stimulus we should process Raccoons, geese and deer to feed the poor and homeless in America?

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I haven't hardly seen any coons at all this year...the only ones, matter of fact, have been dead on the road... and that hasn't been too many..

Maybe they really love your place Boyd

Mikeksfarmer - Lots of people say coon is really good to eat....Never have eaten one myself but my FIL has and he likes it. Their hides/tails are great in crafts -

My dh brought me home a fresh juvie fox he scraped up on the road just the other day.

 

[catfish/okie]

I believe where I live there are more coons than Skunks,possums coyotes, bobcats, and foxes all put together. I wished coon pelts would go back to the prices in the mid 80s that would take care of some of em. Coon hunters please punch the coon out of the trees and let your dogs have em. We have our fair share of cats and yotes, but nothin like the coons.

 

[Elchick]

We have a long history of raccoon problems, too. We live in the suburbs, but family of raccoons live in the sewer in front of our house, and they multiply like rabbits. And they are BIG. The neighborhood won't go near them (Including a 150 pound Rottweiler), and I think they have dispatched the last cat. The city refuses to eradicate them, so I've taken to sitting out there with an aluminum baseball bat and a bb gun some nights. Despite my best efforts, at one point they took out a whole flock. I hate raccoons. Luckily they get run over often on our street. I hope that will take care of the problem.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

So what are the natural predators of racoons? I'm just brainstorming but seems like part of the prob could be that they dont have any but us in rural and suburban areas. Its only out in nat'l park/real circle of life areas where coons are probably killed enough by thier natural predators (bear, cougar, wolf)? to keep populations down. We didnt have probs with them in Alaska which makes sense, we had plenty of thier natural predators around and then some (US)....

 

[Boyd]

but i didn't think coons were native to the western and northwestern US. They were imported in the area because of eastern hunters who wanted to make things like they were at home.

I have a pup that is practically fearless. Will he tangle with a coon? Nope, never again. He did it once, and all he'll do now is bark and wait for me to come out with the gun.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

That makes sense.... Coons and Scotch broom... hate them both! My 120lb newfie trees them but it scares me, I want her to be afraid of them, those nasty little suns a b____ could take her....

 

[catfish/okie]

Cougers like venison Wolves like big game too. Dont think there are many coons in grizzley country (wrong habitat).I dont think black bears bother em much. Hawks and owls eat some baby coons.